The Laughing Swordsman

Apollo looked into Karn's eyes but did not say anything.

Karn sighed.

"This is... an awkward situation to meet in, huh?"

The announcer on the wooden platform heard what Karn said, but didn't care.

"This here is a wicked villager. He was supposed to pay his debts, but never did!"

The crowd got rowdy.

"What? I have to work so hard yet this bastard does nothing?"

"When I got into debt, I worked my ass off! Kill this lazy bum!"

"To think that some people can't even do what they are obligated to!"

Amidst all the noise, Karn continued talking to Apollo.

"What's with that look on your face? This was destined to happen anyway."

Apollo gritted his teeth.

"Why does this have to be destined?"

Karn smiled bitterly.

"There is no reason. It just is."

Apollo looked down.

"That's stupid."

Karn shook his head. Well, as much as he could with his head locked in place.

"Countless things are stupid, but they still exist."

Apollo fell silent.

Karn laughed.

"You know, we hardly even spent a day together. Despite that, I still look over that short time fondly."

A bitter smile formed on Karn's face.

"Even if you still consider me a stranger, I feel like you are my friend."

Karn closed his eyes.

"I've been alone for almost my whole life, so that is a pretty big deal to me."

Karn laughed softly.

"So... thanks for letting me talk to you."

Apollo frowned but did not respond.

The announcer on the platform had a big smile on his face.

"So today, we are getting rid of this nuisance! We can't let these scoundrels taint our city, now can we?"

The crowd was riled up.

"Never!"

"There is no reason to keep these wastes in the city! Kill him!"

"How dare he make life harder for us!"

Karn took a deep breath, ignoring the jeers.

"I've told you a lot of sob stories, so you might feel bad for me, huh?"

Karn took a second to find the words.

"If you are, try not to."

Karn's voice became solemn.

"I do not truly understand what suffering you experienced in your life and you don't truly understand mine."

He smirked.

"As for who deserves more pity, we'll never know. Nor does it matter."

The announcer was smiling widely, still ignoring Karn.

"Haha, glad we are in agreement! We must purge the ungrateful from our city. Now get ready, the execution will happen in just three seconds!"

The crowd roared.

"...Three!"

It was as though Karn could not hear what the people were saying. He looked at Apollo, who was still silent. Then, he sighed.

"Not to mention, I knew this was going to happen from the beginning. I told you before, no?"

"...Two!"

Karn smiled bitterly.

"It is my fault for being born."

"...One!"

The guillotine was released.

As it fell, Apollo reached his hand out.

"Stop it!"

The guillotine cut through Karn's neck.

Apollo's eyes were bloodshot.

"STOP IT!"

He climbed on the platform, causing the announcer to frown.

"Get off! You are not allowed on the execution grounds!"

Apollo did not listen to him.

Karn's decapitated head slowly rolled towards Apollo.

Apollo crouched down and picked it up.

He stared into Karn's lifeless eyes.

The crowd was getting angry.

"Hey, you're blocking the view!"

"Who is this kid's parent?"

"Ignorant brat!"

When Maya saw Apollo on the stage, she began sweating.

What was he doing?

Apollo couldn't hear their complaints. He was lost in his thoughts.

Was it Karn's fault for being born?

How could his life be so cruel?

A smile was slowly being etched onto Apollo's face.

How could things be destined to be this way?

Why were people given these twisted fates?

Apollo started giggling.

The announcer furrowed his brows.

"Did you hear me? Get off the stage or I will be forced to become violent!"

Karn's blood was dripping down Apollo's arm.

Apollo did not seem to notice this, softly mumbling to the head.

"I won't feel bad for you. That much I can promise you. But..."

The announcer walked up to him.

"You've given me no choice!"

If this was a world where one was at fault for being born...

He did not want this world to exist.

Apollo set down Karn's head.

"I want you to know, I will kill every last person in this city."

Apollo's bokken flashed.

The announcer's head fell onto the platform with a smack. As for his body, it tilted to the side, before slamming onto the platform.

Screams rang out.

"Guards! Guards! Stop him!"

Maya was frozen from shock.

It was at this moment she realized how dangerous her fantasies were.

Her fantasy of massacring the city.

They were essentially going to war on the whole city, with hardly any power to back it.

She thought there wouldn't be guards, that everyone would be a helpless lamb. That was how it was for her small village.

But this wasn't her village.

Seeing Apollo strike, a sense of dread filled her heart.

How would they deal with the consequences of this decision?

Apollo dashed into the crowd, madly swinging his sword. Every swing would cause blood to spray in the air, harvesting lives like grains of wheat.

His laughs loomed above the crowd ominously.

The crowd tried to run from Apollo, but they did so chaotically. All the pushing and shoving not only made their escape slow but caused some to fall over.

This let Apollo slaughter with ease.

He had completely lost himself in the bloodshed.

His eyes were widened and bloodshot.

There were a decent amount of guards nearby. They were stationed at the perimeter of the crowd.

The guards were on their way to Apollo the moment they saw him get on the platform. However, the crowd was simply too disorganized.

Despite their best attempts, they were pushed back more than they traveled forward. Within the chaos, some people ended up running into the guard's sword, impaling themselves and dying.

Those deaths did not cause people to settle down and take the situation on calmly. Instead, they panicked more, adding to the chaos.

As for Apollo, he no longer cared about the consequences.

He would kill anybody that dared to stand.